The Rothschilds by Virginia Cowles

Author:Virginia Cowles [Cowles, Virginia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Published: 2015-08-25T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER VIII — MAGNIFICENT BROTHERS (1880-1901)

‘Whenever I want to know an historic fact,’ said Disraeli, ‘I always ask Natty.’ Dark, bearded, forty-year-old Nathaniel Mayer headed the new triumvirate of English brothers who ushered in the 1880s. Although Natty lacked the soaring intelligence of his rough, unsociable grandfather, he had a strong personality and the authoritative air of a man who is not accustomed to being contradicted.

It was fitting that this Rothschild, whose self-confidence seemed to symbolize the impregnability of Victorian England, should have become the first Jewish peer. The sparkling personality of Queen Victoria’s dear departed and much mourned Prime Minister, Mr Disraeli, had modified the Royal view about Jews and peerages: and when Mr Gladstone gave another gentle prod Her Majesty assented. In 1885 Nathaniel Mayer placed his hand on the Old Testament and repeated the oath, head covered, then took his seat in the House of Lords.

Jews all over the world were thrilled at what they regarded as a triumph over prejudice, a step towards social equality. Yet when onlookers saw the portly frame of Lord Rothschild emerging from his brougham at New Court, social equality was not the first phrase that sprang to mind. ‘King of the Jews’ seemed more apt a description. Indeed, a story went the rounds that a Polish Jewish immigrant, who was spending the Day of Atonement at an East End synagogue, suddenly heard someone whisper: ‘The Lord has come!’ He prostrated himself before the Messiah: then saw the famous top hat of Lord Rothschild.

Natty shared the Partners’ Room at New Court with his two brothers, blond, aesthetic Alfred and gentle, sports-loving Leo. But only the most important people in the land were ushered into the triple presence, for here callers were expected to relax and chat and have a glass of wine. Lesser mortals were shown into an ante-room and sometimes terrorized by a visit from Lord Rothschild himself, always watch in hand.

By the 1880s the Rothschilds had become an institution and people looked upon their idiosyncrasies as an integral part of the Victorian landscape. Richer than any family before them, they were famous for their huge, over-furnished houses glowering in red damask and silk against an intimidating background of heavily carved mahogany. They were also famous for living in clusters. Not only did they rub shoulders in the Vale of Aylesbury, but in London they reconstructed a fairy-tale version of the Frankfurt ghetto. They owned four houses on Piccadilly, another three ‘a diamond’s throw away’. Natty lived at 148 Piccadilly, Hannah Rosebery at 107, Ferdinand at 143, his sister, Alice, at 142. Around the corner Anthony’s widow, Louise, lived at 19 Grosvenor Gate, Leo at 5 Hamilton Place and Alfred at 1 Seamore Place.

Rothschilds were also famous for employing the best cooks and serving the best wine; for their adherence to the Jewish faith; their racehorses; their mania for collecting objets d’art; and their clannishness when it came to marriage. Sons-in-law who did not bear the Rothschild name were still excluded from the Partners’ Rooms of the family banks.

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